With great power comes great responsibility, but powerful men often make for lousy, irresponsible politicians. (Insert personal observations on certain presidential candidates here.) With "Coriolanus,"one of William Shakespeare's toughest, most provocative studies in statesmanship, the dramatist created a tragedy (premiering in 1608) built upon the life of a fifth century B.C. warrior who, whether by excess of pride or by stubborn humility or an all-too-human mixture of...

Ralph Fiennes will be wearing several hats at this year's Hamptons film fest, appearing not only as a star and director, but also as a mentor to younger actors. Over the course of a career that encompasses memorable performances of such literary icons as Emily Bronte's Heathcliff and J.K. Rowling's Lord Voldemort, Fiennes has always been attracted to darker material and conflicted, tragic characters. In his more recent role as director, he seems to be...

When director Eric Simonson told several people that his upcoming project would be "Coriolanus" at Evanston's Next Theatre, they replied, with polite tones of curiosity, "Who wrote that?" The answer, of course, is William Shakespeare, and while Simonson's friends should be a little embarrassed, they needn`t feel that embarrassed. "Coriolanus" is not one of Shakespeare's more popular plays-there hasn`t been a professional Chicago production in half a century, judging from memory and the somewhat...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court justices on Monday evening sought laughs rather than legal clarity as they weighed a tragic case concerning a despotic Roman general and his overbearing mother. The three justices were taking part in a mock trial at Washington's Shakespeare Theatre based on William Shakespeare's "Coriolanus," a bleak tragedy set in ancient Rome that is currently being staged at the theater. It's an annual tradition for justices to participate in the...

Jack Bittner, an actor and singer in theater, television and the opera for half a century, died June 26 at his home in Manhattan. He was 76. His wife, Mae Cooper Bittner, said the cause was a heart attack. Mr. Bittner was known best as a Shakespearean actor. He appeared in more than 40 productions and was runner-up for a Clarence Derwent Award in 1954 for best supporting performances in "Richard III" and "Coriolanus." Brooks Atkinson, who reviewed the Antioch Shakespeare Festival...

Bohemian Theatre Ensemble received the most nominations in Chicago's 2013 Non-Equity Jeff Awards, the volunteer Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee announced Tuesday. Bohemian shows admired by the committee included “The Spitfire Grill” and “Floyd Collins.” Such productions as “City of Dreadful Night” at the Den Theatre, “Reefer Madness” at the Circle Theatre and “Flare Path” at the Griffin Theatre also did well in the slate of nominations, which seemed weighted toward...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court justices on Monday evening sought laughs rather than legal clarity as they weighed a tragic case concerning a despotic Roman general and his overbearing mother. The three justices were taking part in a mock trial at Washington's Shakespeare Theatre based on William Shakespeare's "Coriolanus," a bleak tragedy set in ancient Rome that is currently being staged at the theater. It's an annual tradition for justices to participate in the...

If the truculent titular warrior in Shakespeare's "Coriolanus" has a parallel in American politics, it might be Richard Nixon - he who, in 1962, growled "you won't have Nixon to kick around anymore" after losing a bruising fight for the California governorship. True, Nixon didn't boast actual battle scars, unlike Caius Martius (dubbed "Coriolanus" after his near-singlehanded defeat of the Volscians at Corioli). But the disdain for popular opinion and attachment to...

New writers have made an entire people their subject or pulled it off as well as August Wilson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Fences" and "The Piano Lesson." Opening Monday at Goodman Theatre, "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" is the third installment of Wilson's ongoing chronicle of the African-American experience in the 20th Century. Set in 1911, it compassionately depicts the boarders living in a Pittsburgh rooming house and their search for work and worth in the...

"I DON'T believe the absurd rumors that Katie Holmes "auditioned" to be Mrs. Cruise, or that their marriage was nothing more than a contract. I've interviewed Tom Cruise many times over the past decade, and he strikes me as a guy who loves being in love. He also loves being in control -- that's what happens when you've been a movie star for nearly three decades." That's Jess Cagle, the managing editor of Entertainment Weekly, in his latest Editor's Note. Jess...

As wide as the world and larger than life, Shakespeare's roles offer actors an immense range to explore. Probably no contrast is greater than that between the ferociously haughty Roman aristocrat Coriolanus and the mischievous, irrepressible fairy Puck. Steve Pickering is an actor who recently has played both-back to back, first in Next Theatre's staging of "Coriolanus" and currently in Goodman Theatre's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Puck is traditionally played with an ethereal delicacy that...

With great power comes great responsibility, but powerful men often make for lousy, irresponsible politicians. (Insert personal observations on certain presidential candidates here.) With "Coriolanus,"one of William Shakespeare's toughest, most provocative studies in statesmanship, the dramatist created a tragedy (premiering in 1608) built upon the life of a fifth century B.C. warrior who, whether by excess of pride or by stubborn humility or an all-too-human mixture of...

Bohemian Theatre Ensemble received the most nominations in Chicago's 2013 Non-Equity Jeff Awards, the volunteer Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee announced Tuesday. Bohemian shows admired by the committee included “The Spitfire Grill” and “Floyd Collins.” Such productions as “City of Dreadful Night” at the Den Theatre, “Reefer Madness” at the Circle Theatre and “Flare Path” at the Griffin Theatre also did well in the slate of nominations, which seemed weighted toward...

The images are of-the-moment. Soldiers in American-grade camouflage fatigues and body armor maneuver through a smoldering, graffiti-spattered city to the persistent snapping and popping of automatic gunfire. The dialogue that comes from their mouths, however, resembles a different era altogether. "What's the matter," taunts a raging Ralph Fiennes, "you dissentious rogues, that, rubbing the poor itch of your opinion, make yourselves scabs?" That would be Shakespeare...

The images are of-the-moment. Soldiers in American-grade camouflage fatigues and body armor maneuver through a smoldering, graffiti-spattered city to the persistent snapping and popping of automatic gunfire. The dialogue that comes from their mouths, however, resembles a different era altogether. "What's the matter," taunts a raging Ralph Fiennes, "you dissentious rogues, that, rubbing the poor itch of your opinion, make yourselves scabs?" That would be Shakespeare...

Why do we look forward to a rare stateside visit from England's Royal Shakespeare Company? We look forward to seeing and hearing what deeply trained actors can do for our understanding of Shakespeare's plays. We look forward to performers who have no need of a meter-reader when it comes to the proper scan of iambic pentameter. We appreciate the relaxed confidence of the playing. And a beautifully trilled R never hurt. For proof, get a load of the R's tripping off the tongue belonging to Richard...

Ralph Fiennes will be wearing several hats at this year's Hamptons film fest, appearing not only as a star and director, but also as a mentor to younger actors. Over the course of a career that encompasses memorable performances of such literary icons as Emily Bronte's Heathcliff and J.K. Rowling's Lord Voldemort, Fiennes has always been attracted to darker material and conflicted, tragic characters. In his more recent role as director, he seems to be...

Jack Bittner, an actor and singer in theater, television and the opera for half a century, died June 26 at his home in Manhattan. He was 76. His wife, Mae Cooper Bittner, said the cause was a heart attack. Mr. Bittner was known best as a Shakespearean actor. He appeared in more than 40 productions and was runner-up for a Clarence Derwent Award in 1954 for best supporting performances in "Richard III" and "Coriolanus." Brooks Atkinson, who reviewed the Antioch Shakespeare Festival...